A second day of weak German data sent European markets into retreat on Tuesday with stocks, the euro and periphery euro zone government debt all knocked by the mounting evidence of an abrupt slowdown in the bloc's economic engine room.
Industry
Asia shares buckle beneath global growth woes
Asian stocks slid on Wednesday as worries about waning global growth lifted safe-haven bonds and the yen, while shoving oil prices to their lowest in more than two years.
Rich shoppers seen boosting U.S. holidays, deep discounts likely
Wealthier U.S. shoppers are likely to drive the most bountiful holiday season in three years as retailers slash prices to cope with tighter budgets, analysts said on Tuesday, as a new survey showed 2014 retail sales rising 4.1 percent.
Wal-Mart raises healthcare costs, cuts benefits for some part-timers
Wal-Mart Stores Inc, the biggest U.S. private sector employer, said on Tuesday that its 1.3 million workers would have to pay more for healthcare and it would end benefits for some part-time staff in a move that could prompt other companies to follow suit.
Wall St. falls 1 percent on global growth concerns
U.S. stocks ended sharply lower on Tuesday, with major indexes falling 1 percent in heavy trading, as weak data out of Germany raised concerns about the strength of global growth ahead of the start of earnings season.
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Billionaire Patrick Drahi's cable and telecoms company Altice SA is looking to acquire the Portuguese assets of Brazilian carrier Oi SA, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The World Bank cut its 2014-2016 growth forecasts for developing East Asia, noting that China was likely to slow due to policies aimed at putting the economy on a more sustainable footing, and it also cautioned of capital-flight risks to Indonesia.
The Bank of Japan on Tuesday maintained its massive asset buying program but offered a bleaker view on factory output, following signs that the world's third-largest economy was hit harder than expected by a sales tax increase in April.
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) is heading for its first annual earnings drop since 2011 after it revealed its July-September profit would be the lowest in more than three years and said short-term prospects for smartphones were uncertain.
Panasonic Corp's (6752.T) initial investment in Tesla Motors Inc's (TSLA.O) battery factory will amount to "tens of billions" of yen, the Japanese company's chief executive said on Tuesday.
Rio Tinto (RIO.AX) rejected a merger approach from smaller rival Glencore Plc (GLEN.L) to create a $160 billion mining and trading giant in August just as the price of its most profitable product, iron ore, hit a five-year low.
Hong Kong's benchmark index posted its biggest daily gain in more than a month on Monday, as pro-democracy activists scaled down protests and upbeat U.S. jobs data provided some relief over the outlook for the global economy.
Facebook Inc (FB.O) closed its acquisition of mobile messaging service WhatsApp on Monday, with the final price tag rising an additional $3 billion to roughly $22 billion because of the increased value of Facebook's stock in recent months.
Asian shares tentatively rose in early trade on Tuesday, while the dollar steadied after investors locked in some gains overnight on its recent rally.
